Personal Information
Full Name | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone |
Date of Birth | August 7, 1999 |
Nationality | American |
Height | 5 ft 9 in |
Sydney Mclaughlin: A Brief Biography
Sydney McLaughlin is an American track and field athlete born on 7th August 1999. She is a native of Dunellen city of New Jersey in the United States. Sydney specializes in hurdling and represents the USA in 400m Hurdles.
Background:
Sydney McLaughlin was born to Willie McLaughlin and Mary McLaughlin. She comes from an athletic family, where her father was a national-level 400m Hurdler and her mother was a high school runner. Sydney’s elder brother, Taylor McLaughlin, was a 400m Hurdles Silver-medalist at the 2016 World U20 Athletics Championships.
Sydney pursued her interest in athletics at a very young age. In 2013, she received her first professional training from Mike McCabe. She attended Union Catholic Regional High in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, where she emerged as high school champion for three consecutive years (2015-2017) in 60m Hurdles (Indoor) and 400m Hurdles (Outdoor) at the NSAF Championships.
In 2017, after graduating from high school, Sydney signed the National Letter of Intent to join the University of Kentucky with a commitment to compete for their track and field program. She had represented Kentucky Wildcats at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships and SEC Championships in 2018 before turning professional by signing with the New Balance team.
Rise to Glory:
Sydney McLaughlin’s first career break as a junior athlete came in 2014 when she won the Silver medal in 400m Hurdles at the USA Track and Field Junior Championships. Two years later, in 2016, she clinched her first national junior championships title in 400m Hurdles.
In 2017, Sydney made her senior national debut at the USA Track and Field Championships and finished 6th in 400m Hurdles. At the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, she won the Silver medal in 400m Sprints. That year, in June, Sydney won her first NCAA 400m Hurdles title at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
In 2019, Sydney McLaughlin clinched her first senior national medal in 400m Hurdles by winning Silver at the USA Track and Field Championships. In April 2021, she competed at the USATF Grand Prix, where she finished 4th in 100m Hurdles.
Sydney McLaughlin is the current World No.1 Women 400m Hurdler with 1429 Points, 9 Points ahead of her compatriot Dalilah Muhammad. She holds the world junior record for 400m and 300m Sprints.
Major Achievements:
Sydney McLaughlin made her international debut at the 2015 World Youth Athletics Championships, where she clinched her first international Gold medal in 400m Hurdles by clocking 55.94 seconds. The following year, she made her Olympic debut at the Rio Olympics and finished 16th in the 400m Hurdles semifinals.
In 2019, Sydney competed at the Diamond League, which marked her professional international debut, and earned three circuit wins before winning the title in 400m Hurdles in Zurich, Switzerland. That year, in September, Sydney helped her American relay team to clinch the 4x400m Relay title, while she won the Silver medal in 400m Hurdles at the World Athletics Championships.
Sydney McLaughlin is eyeing to secure her spot on the US Olympic Team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics via U.S Olympic Trials and shall be in contention to medal in 400m Hurdles.